Piano action



A. F. DINSMORE PIANO ACTION Filed Sept. 16', 1955 U/ W a.

March 12, 1940.

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Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIANO ACTION Application September 16, 1935, Serial No. 40,700

7 Claims.

This invention relates to pianos.

In recent years there has been an increasing demand for small pianos which occupy very little floor space and which are relatively light in weight and therefore easy to move.

One of the problems which has been encountered in reducing the size of upright pianos is that of providing suitable operating connections between the keys and the hammer action; for the keys must be a certain distance above the fioor level, and if the hammer action occupies its usual position above the keys, the height of the piano cannot be less than the distance of the keys above the floor level plus the height of the hammer action plus the distance from the point where the hammers strike the strings to the point where the strings are secured to the frame.

Furthermore, the depth of the piano has been controlled to some extent by the requirement for keys of sufficient length to provide the necessary amplitude of movement when connected directly to the wippens.

Various expedients have been adopted to overcome these diiliculties but it is an object of this invention to provide a very simple construction permitting the piano action to be condensed into a very small space, while at the same time retaining all of the capabilities of the standard upright action. 30 Other specific objects of the invention are to provide connections between the keys and the hammer action such that the hammer action may occupy any desired position with respect to the keys, either above or below, and to shorten the keys while still obtaining the desired amplitude of action by the wippens.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawing in which the figure is a vertical section through the action, all parts of the piano except those essential to the action being eliminated.

Referring to the drawing, the strings I are secured to the plate 2 in the usual manner and the usual sounding board 3 is placed behind the strings. The key bed 4 is spaced from the strings and sounding board a distance suificient to accommodate th hammer action therebetween and keys 5 are pivotally mounted on the key bed in the usual manner. It will be observed that the keys are shorter than usual, for while the distance from the playing ends of the keys to the pivot point is approximately standard, the

distance from the pivot point to the rear ends of the keys is shorter than usual.

The hammer action illustrated is of standard construction and is supported on the usual hammer rail 6. ing the hammer I, damper 8, damper levels 9, back check 10, jack Ii, bridle strap I2 and wippen I3. The usual spring rail I4 and hammer rest rail 15 are also provided.

Mounted below the wippens I3 and offset therefrom is a rail 16 having pivoted thereon a plurality of wippen fingers I! of sufficient length to extend under the wippens l3, and a wippen finger link wire I3 connects each of the wippen fingers IT with the rear end of one of the keys 5. If desired, extensions I9 may be secured to the rear ends of the keys so that the wires It may pass through apertures 20 therein, and an adjustment button 2| may be supplied to provide a suitable adjustment between the key and the wippen l3. Thus when the playing end of a key is depressed in the usual manner the wire 18 lifts the finger H to actuate the wippen. It will be noted that due to the provision of the wippen fingers H, the amplitude oi movement of the rear end of the key is increased to properly actuate the wippen.

In order to reduce friction and lost motion between the wippens I3 and wippen fingers H as much as possible, it is desirable that the point of contact 22 therebetween should be substantially in alignment with the wippen pivot 23 and the wippen finger pivot 24.

If desired, the key bed 4 and the rail [6 may be framed together as a unit so that theymay be removed as a unit from the piano, thus giving easy access to the hammer action for repairs and adjustment. The hammer action may also be made separately removable as a unit.

It will be observed that by shortening or lengthening the wires 18, and suitably adjusting the position of the rail I6 and the wippen fingers H with respect thereto, the hammer action may It comprises the usual parts includbe located in any desired position with respect for the weight of the additional parts is compensated by the lessened weight of the short keys. Furthermore, the additional parts including the wippen fingers I'll and wires l8 are not fastened or secured in any way to the Wippens l3, being merely in contact therewith. As a result, the hammer action retains all of the usual capabilities of upright hammer actions.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In an upright piano action including a hammer, a pivoted wippen and a key, in combination, a pivotally mounted wippen finger having one end engaging said wippen, and a link connecting said key and wippen finger, the point of engagement between said wippen and wippen finger being substantially in alignment with the wippen pivot and the wippen finger pivot.

2. In an upright piano action including a ham mer, wippen and key, means providing an operative connection between said key and said wippen including a wippen finger having one end pivoted at a fixed point and its other end engaging said wippen, and a link having one end connected to said key and its other end connected to said wippen finger intermediate its pivot point and its point of engagement with said wippen.

3. In an upright piano action including a ha1nmer, a pivoted wippen and a key, means providing an operative connection between said key and wippen including a wippen finger having one end pivoted at a fixed point and its other end engaging said wippen, and a link having one end connected to said key and its other end connected to said wippen finger intermediate its pivot point and its point of engagement with said wippen, the point of engagement between said wippen and wippen finger being substantially in alignment with the wippen pivot and the wippen finger pivot.

4. An upright piano action comprising a hammer, a wippen, a wippen finger and a key, and in which the wippen is a lever of the second class, the wippen finger is a lever of the third class, and the key is a lever of the first class, and a link connecting said key to said wippen finger.

5. An upright piano action comprising a hammer, a wippen, a wippen finger and a key, and in which the wippen is a lever of the second class, the wippen finger is a lever of the third class, and the key is a lever of the first class, said wippen finger being in contact with said wippen at a point substantially in alignment with the fulcrum of said wippen and the fulcrum of said wippen finger.

6. An upright piano action comprising a hammer, a wippen, a wippen finger and a key, and in which the wippen is a lever of the second class, the wippen finger is a lever of the third class, and the key is a lever of the first class, said wippen finger being in contact with said wippen at a point substantially in alignment with the fulcrum of said wippen and the fulcrum of said wippen finger, and a link connecting said key to said wippen finger.

7. In an upright piano, the combination comprising a plurality of keys divided into a front and a back part, the front part of said keys being adapted to form a keyboard mounted at a plane assuring convenient height from the floor and being pivoted at an intermediate portion there of, the back parts of said keys forming striking fingers having their ends pivoted at a lower level to permit convenient housing of the action means, a connecting rod for each key connecting the end of the front part of said key to an inter mediate portion of said striking finger and adapted to pull said striking finger upwards when the front part of said key is depressed, and action means above each of said striking fingers but disconnected therefrom and capable of being actuate d when said key is depressed.

ALTON F. DINSMORE. 

